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Darryl Simmons walked into a classroom at Putnam Science Academy about a month ago, just wanting to talk to anyone within earshot about his new favorite song lyric. He wanted to make sure everyone understood exactly what the line “When that bag touch down, I scream ‘hallelujah!’” was about, that when the blessings come in, he has to give thanks to God.
That line was on Simmons’ mind last week during an official visit to Gardner-Webb University, where before he even left the North Carolina school, he told the coaching staff that he “was all-in and committing to play there.
“It’s been a long journey,” said the Mustangs’ undersized point guard, who will be the sixth PSA player to head to Gardner-Webb. “It felt real good to be honest, knowing that all the things I’ve been through had gotten me to this moment. This recruitment process was hard, but everything happens for a reason. It’s always God’s timing. When you want to do things your way and have it on your time, there are always obstacles throughout the process. I knew something special was going to happen, because all these things were happening to me, all these things that I did not want. I knew there was going to be a spirit in the making that was going to make something work out for me in the long run.
“I’m thrilled, I’m blessed. As soon as I set foot on campus, I felt welcomed and felt like I belonged there. They were definitely tears of joy when I knew this was it.”
Simmons, from Norwich, enrolled at PSA as an eighth grader in 2017. He played on the Mustangs’ second team for most of his first three seasons, joining the Prep team for good as an end-of-bench player toward the end of the 2019-20 season, when they won their second national championship.
Generously listed at 6-feet tall, Simmons had his next season cut in half by COVID. He opened the 21-22 season as the starting point guard (ahead of Desmond Claude, who was recently named to the all-Big East Freshman Team) before injuries cost him seven games and forced him into a bench role where he helped the team go undefeated in another championship run.
But the summer of 2022 was difficult, as his last AAU season to show college coaches what he could do was ravaged by a foot injury, which also slowed him down at the start of this past PSA season.
“He went through a lot and people really backed off of him after the injury,” coach Tom Espinosa said. “He had to prove himself all over again. We learned in that 2020-21 season that we could count on him to win games at this level. There were a lot of times the last two seasons that we couldn’t afford to take him off the court, that’s how good and impactful his game is.
“So this is a special one for me. Darryl is like a son to me, and I couldn’t be more proud or happy for him and his family. People see all the things he isn’t when you look at him. But when you watch him…he has a great feel for the game, he plays hard, his teammates love playing with him. He’s a leader. And he’s a winner. There is so much that he does bring, and Gardner-Webb is going to love him.”
Simmons leaves PSA with his name amongst the greats. He is the only player to win three national championships; his 94 games played is second all-time (again, having lost between 15-20 to the Covid season); he is seventh in career points (914), fourth in assists (336), third in steals (137), and first in made 3-pointers (147).
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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